News: Lerud signed a minor league deal, which includes a spring training invite, with the Nationals on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of CSN reports.

Impact: Lerud spent last season in the Braves organization, hitting .250/.376/.390 in 164 at-bats for Triple-A Gwinnett. He's played just nine career major league games, and the 30-year-old will likely spent the bulk of 2015 at the Triple-A level.